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'The Wire' Star Arrested For Alleged Sanders Fans Fight

Wendell Pierce, an actor famous for his standout performance in HBO shows "The Wire" and "Treme," was arrested in an Atlanta hotel on May 15 after an apparent altercation related to a disagreement over the Democratic primary race.

The actor was reportedly having a casual conversation with a woman and her boyfriend at the Loews Hotel in the city.

Things allegedly got heated when the conversation turned to political matters. Pierce, an ardent supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, reportedly became enraged when the unnamed woman voiced her support for Clinton's rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to The Daily Beast.

Pierce allegedly pushed the male out of the way and "went after his girlfriend ... grabbing her hair and smacking her in the head." The Daily Beast later contacted sources who disputed the details of the incident, saying that the woman had stepped into an altercation already underway.

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The actor was arrested by Atlanta police on battery charges, and was later released after posting a $1,000 bond.

Pierce had been openly critical of Sanders before the incident, noting what he called "empty plans" from the Vermont senator.

Pierce was slated to give a commencement speech at Rutgers University-Newark in Newark, New Jersey on May 18, ABC News reports. The school announced on May 16 that Pierce would no longer be giving the speech. Instead, television news reporter and anchor Soledad O'Brien will address the graduating class of 2016 at Newark's Prudential Center.